DAMON HUFFMAN hopes to be back “sooner rather than later” to help Newcastle Eagles’ BBL title charge.

DAMON HUFFMAN hopes to be back “sooner rather than later” to help Newcastle Eagles’ BBL title charge.

Huffman has been missing for almost a month with a hip flexor injury and his problem has coincided with fitness concerns for Fab Flournoy – and a slump in the Eagles’ form.

The good news is that although Sunday’s clash with Surrey Heat comes a fortnight too early, he is edging towards full fitness again.

He has been back in the gym all week and expects to hit the ground running when the doctors give him the green light to return.

“I think I will be back sooner rather than later,” Huffman said.

“I wish I could give a certain date but it’s difficult with muscle injuries to say that.

“I think what Fab has said – which is around four weeks from when the injury was first diagnosed – is about right.

“I wish I could say an exact date and I wish I could say that it was going to be exactly 25 days but I don’t feel I can.

“You’ve got to listen to the body, really, and I’m doing my rehab and trying to get the muscle as strong as I possibly can before I come back.

“Hopefully that will be soon, but the important thing is that it heals properly.”

Huffman’s mood has not been helped by the way the team has dropped points and dropped their lead in the BBL of late.

Since the BBL Cup final – which they lost to Leicester Riders – the team have dropped two home games to leave them with ground to make up in the race to win the league. They bounced back from a gut-wrenching defeat to Cheshire by beating Plymouth but they have another tough game at Surrey Heat on Sunday.

Huffman admits that it has been tough to watch on from the sidelines. “I don’t want to speak for all athletes but any time you are injured it’s definitely a mental battle as well as a physical one,” he said.

“You want to be out there to help your team win.

“It is very difficult to watch – especially when the results are not going the way that you want them to.

“It makes you want to get back even quicker but it would be a mistake to rush it so you’re almost battling the instincts you have.

“It can be really tough, and when you feel the team needs all the help it can get it’s even worse.”